08/01/17 - (SS) - Chase Hansen, rJr, 6-2, 220 Utah starting safety Chase Hansen is out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. After Monday's practice, Coach Kyle Whittingham called the issue a "lingering thing" from before camp started last week. He hopes the 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior will be ready for the season opener against North Dakota on August 31. Utah does not typically detail injuries unless they are season-ending. "He's one of the best players in the conference," Whittingham said. "You always want to be full strength and have the best guys on the field, but if he's not there, he's not there. "Knowing him, his work ethic, his toughness, my guess is he'll be there."

Hansen started all 13 games in 2016 and received an All-Pac-12 honorable mention after leading the team with 90 tackles, including 7 1/2 for loss, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. "He worked out all summer," Whittingham said. "It was just something we thought we could get out ahead of and were never able to get out ahead of it. So he needs some down time." Hansen is the lone returning starter in the Utes' defensive backfield. He is considered one of the top all-around players and one of the best athletes on the roster. - AP College Football

07/27/17 - (WR) - Darren Carrington II, rSr, 6-1, 205 WR Darren Carrington II, dismissed from Oregon in early July following a DUI charge, will play this season at Utah, his father told the Salt Lake Tribune. Carrington, a senior who has earned a degree from Oregon, is eligible this season. He caught 43 passes for 606 yards and five touchdowns last season, pushing his career totals to 112 receptions for 1,919 yards and 15 scores. Carrington is rated the sixth-best receiver prospect for 2018 by NFLDraftScout.com.

07/17/17 - (WR) - Darren Carrington II, rSr, 6-1, 205 Oregon WR Carrington off team following DUI arrest...The Oregon Ducks dismissed Darren Carrington from the football team after the wide receiver's DUI arrest on July 1. "I have visited with Darren Carrington and informed him that he is no longer a member of our program," Ducks coach Willie Taggart said in release sent by the university on Friday. "We will always consider Darren a Duck and support him in any way we can. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors." Oregon had indefinitely suspended Carrington after police stopped him in downtown Eugene. Carrington, about to enter his fifth season, was projected to be Oregon's top wide receiver. He led the team with 606 receiving yards and was second with 43 receptions in 2016 while averaging 17.1 yards per reception with 15 touchdowns during his career. The precedent was set when Oregon moved to fire co-offensive coordinator David Reaves within hours of his January arrest on a similar DUII charge that also originated in downtown Eugene. Reaves later resigned in February. - The Sports Xchange

07/10/17 - (DT) - Lowell Lotulelei, Sr, 6-1, 320 2017 Preseason Bednarik Award Watchlist: DT Lowell Lotulelei, Utah,...All-America candidate is one of the best defensive tackles in the country … All-Pac-12 all three seasons, including first-team honors in 2015 … starter since his true freshman season when he was a 2014 Freshman All-American … played in 38 of 39 games with 30 starts in his first three seasons. Honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2016 … started 12 games at right tackle, missing the California game due to injury … 28 tackles (8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) … five tackles (2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) against both Oregon and San Jose State. - Utah Football

07/10/17 - (DE) - Kylie Fitts, rSr, 6-3, 260 2017 Preseason Bednarik Award Watchlist: DE Kylie Fitts, Utah,...All-conference candidate expects to be at full strength by summer after recovering from last year's season-ending injury … received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to play an additional season. Played and started in two games in 2016 (1 at right end, 1 at linebacker) before suffering a season-ending injury … at the time of his injury, he was leading the team in tackles for loss (3.0) and sacks (1.5) … four total tackles were all against Southern Utah. - Utah Football

07/10/17 - (WR) - Darren Carrington II, rSr, 6-1, 205 Oregon receiver Darren Carrington has been suspended from the team indefinitely after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. Eugene police say Carrington was arrested after hitting a pole at a McDonald's restaurant at 3:15 a.m. Saturday. In addition to DUI, Carrington was also cited for careless driving and making an improper turn. The senior was suspended by Oregon later Saturday. Shortly thereafter, Carrington posted a photo showing some of his Ducks teammates on Instagram , writing: "Thanks for everything I'll truly miss my brothers love y'all." The 22-year-old Carrington is scheduled to appear in Eugene Municipal Court on July 21. Last season, he caught 43 passes for 606 yards and five touchdowns. - AP College Football

04/29/17 - (WR) - Darren Carrington II, rSr, 6-1, 205 Justin Herbert threw for 327 yards and found Darren Carrington for three touchdowns in Oregon's first Spring Game under new coach Willie Taggart on Saturday. The vibe around the annual event was totally different than in past years: Instead of building on previous successes, the Ducks are - almost - starting fresh. There are a few familiar faces, notably Carrington and running back Royce Freeman, but it is clear the Ducks are now Taggart's team. "We definitely got a lot of work to do," Carrington said. "But we're on the upside right now. There's no backsteps, we're only going up." Taggart is taking over an Oregon team that finished 4-8 last season and at the bottom of the Pac-12 North standings at 2-7, snapping a run of nine straight winning seasons in conference play.

Taggart's first spring game featured Team Free, led by Herbert and featuring Carrington and Freeman, against Team Brave, with Travis Jonson and newcomer Braxton Burmeister at quarterback. Team Free won 34-11 before a crowd announced at 36,821. Unlike past seasons under Mark Helfrich and Chip Kelly, when the event was more of a scrimmage based on points, this was more like an actual game - with a running clock in the second half. Herbert, a sophomore, completed 16 of 26 passes for Team Free. He threw for 1,936 yards and 19 touchdowns in eight games as a freshman last season. Carrington finished with four receptions for 116 yards. - AP Sports

03/26/17 - (DE) - Hunter Dimick, rSr, 6-3, 268 Utah Pro day: Offensive tackle Garett Bolles will almost surely be the first Ute selected this year, with guard Isaac Asiata and safety Marcus Williams likely following close behind. All three currently rank among my top 64 prospects, but after turning heads in Indianapolis, all three focused on positional workouts, leaving the spotlight to fall on arguably this year's biggest combine snub: edge rusher Hunter Dimick. The 6-3, 274-pound Dimick led the Pac-12 with 14.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2016 but was nevertheless not invited to the combine in large part because he lacks the desired length (including 31-inch arms) for NFL edge rushers. While his arms might be shorter than ideal, they certainly are powerful, as Dimick recorded 38 reps on the bench press Thursday, three more than Asiata's combine-best 35 a few weeks ago. Dimick also proved quicker than expected in the 40-yard dash, registering a time in the low 4.7s, according to a source on the scene. Despite the fact that he was not invited to the combine, Dimick currently ranks 19th among defensive ends and a solid Day 3 value. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

03/07/17 - (OT) - *Garett Bolles, Jr, 6-5, 297 NFL Combine Cliffhangers: Will there be a consensus top tackle? Probably not. The most gifted tackle in the draft is Utah's Garett Bolles but he will turn 25 years old in May and has only one season at the FBS level, as does Wisconsin's Ryan Ramczyk. Alabama's Cam Robinson is a classic mauler in the running game but is not the dancing bear teams want at left tackle and comes with significant off-field concerns. The only consensus about this year's tackle class is that it might be better to wait. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

03/04/17 - (OT) - *Garett Bolles, Jr, 6-5, 297 2017 NFL Combine, Day 3 Takeaways: 8. Utah’s Garett Bolles rolls ... perhaps into the first round?...The big winner among offensive linemen in the bench press drills Thursday was Utah’s Isaac Asiata, but Friday it was his former teammate Garett Bolles who wowed with his sheer athleticism, clocking in at 4.95 seconds in the 40-yard dash (including a 1.76-second 10-yard split), a 7.29-second three-cone and a 4.55-second time in the short shuttle, each among the top three among the approximately 45 offensive linemen tested. The 6-foot-5, 297-pound Bolles currently ranks third on NFLDraftScout.com’s board and is viewed as a potential first-round pick, something that Friday’s efforts will no doubt help. - Dane Brugler & Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

03/04/17 - (OT) - *Garett Bolles, Jr, 6-5, 297 2017 NFL Combine, Day 3 Winners: Garett Bolles: In a weak offensive line class, the tackle out of Utah made himself some money on Friday. Bolles ran a 4.97 40; it’s always impressive to see a lineman crack five seconds. Bolles put himself up there with Ryan Ramczyk and Cam Robinson as the top prospects in this draft class with an impressive effort in the athletic drills on Friday. Plenty of teams late in the first round and at the top of the second round need help on offensive line, so it won’t be surprising to see his star rise. - Will Brinson, CBSSports.com

03/02/17 - (OG) - Isaac Asiata, rSr, 6-3, 323 Asiata wows with 35 reps as offensive linemen hit bench press...Offensive linemen showing off their strength in the bench press was the first athletic testing to be completed at the 2017 NFL combine. The results produced some early winners, including Utah’s Isaac Asiata, who led all of Thursday’s competitors with 35 repetitions of 225 pounds, narrowly beating out TCU’s Aviante Collins, Texas A&M’s Jermaine Eluemainor and Western Kentucky’s Forrest Lamp, who each managed to push up the bar successfully 34 times. Needless to say, scouts generally take a “more is better” approach when it comes to the bench press, but they also recognize the factor that arm length plays in the exercise. Players with shorter arms have an inherent advantage over those being asked to push the weight further. This fact just makes Asiata’s strength all the more impressive given that he has 33 3/4-inch arms, longer than Collins (33 3/8 inches), Eluemainor (33 1/4 inches) and Lamp (32 1/4 inches). Asiata strength isn’t just limited to the weight room. The defensive linemen in the Pac-12 honored him with the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the conference this season. The three-time All-Pac-12 pick was invited to the Senior Bowl (and fared well there) before a hamstring strain forced him to leave Mobile early. Asiata currently ranks sixth among NFLDraftScout.com’s guards and 96th overall, and is viewed as a third-round value. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

03/01/17 - (OT) - *Garett Bolles, Jr, 6-5, 297 2017 NFL Combine, Wednesday takeaways: 6. Measurements for top-rated junior offensive linemen...For seniors, most teams have verified measurements from fall visits or all-star games. But for the underclassmen, teams are eager to get the exact numbers for several of the top-rated junior line prospects. And several passed the test. Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk came in a 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds with 33 3/4-inch arms and 10 7/8-inch hands. Alabama’s Cam Robinson measured at 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds with 35 1/2-inch arms and 10 1/2-inch hands. And then there’s Utah’s Garett Bolles, who came in at 6-foot-5 and 297 pounds with 34-inch arms and 9 3/8-inch hands. - Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com

01/05/17 - (OT) - *Garett Bolles, Jr, 6-5, 297 Utah left tackle Garett Bolles says he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. He announced his plans through Twitter on Wednesday night. Bolles transferred to Utah from Snow College for the 2016 season. He started all 13 games and was named first-team All-Pac-12. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle helped the Utes finish with the No. 32 rushing offense in the nation even though Utah's running back group was ravaged by injuries. He finished the season as one of the most punishing run blockers in the conference. Bolles tweeted that "playing in the NFL has been one of my ultimate goals and I believe it's time to pursue it and provide for my family." - AP Sports

12/29/16 - (RB) - Joe Williams, Sr, 5-11, 210 Utah rides ground game to another bowl win...Utah running back Joe Williams was an unlikely hero of Wednesday's Foster Farms Bowl, considering he had retired from football early in the season and was sick as a dog on Tuesday. But Williams was there when he was needed most, rushing for 222 yards and providing most of the work in the game-winning drive that gave 19th-ranked Utah a 26-24 victory over Indiana. "He was fantastic," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who improved his record to 10-1 in bowl games. "Joe was so sick last night, running a fever, we weren't sure we would have him today." Williams ran for 168 yards in the second half and he had 64 of the yards in the 68-yard drive that set up Andy Phillips' 27-yard field goal with 1:24 left that put the Utes (9-4) ahead and continued their postseason success. Utah has won its last four bowl games and 13 of its last 14. "I just had some sinus trouble and coughs," said Williams, who revealed that he got married a few weeks ago. "My wife told me this is our last ride. So I had to do like the Jordan flu game." - The Sports Xchange

12/17/16 - (K) - Andy Phillips, rSr, 5-10, 214 2016 ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): PK Andy Phillips, Sr., Utah,...Phillips is fourth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (81.0), field goals per game (1.42) and total field goals (17). He is a four-time All-Pac-12 selection, including a first-team nod in 2014. - Utah Football

12/17/16 - (FS) - *Marcus Williams, Jr, 6-1, 202 2016 ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): DB Marcus Williams, Jr., Utah,...Williams, first-team all-conference a year ago, ranks second in the league in interceptions (4, tied) and interceptions per game (0.40) despite missing two games. - Utah Football

12/17/16 - (OG) - Isaac Asiata, rSr, 6-3, 323 2016 ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): OL Isaac Asiata, Sr., Utah,...Asiata, a four-year starter who made the honorable mention team in 2015, leads Utah in cuts (13) and ranks second among the offensive linemen in total plays (928). - Utah Football